Looking Inwards: A Self-Assessment

It's been a journey. It's been almost a month since the first blog was due, and look how far we've come. I feel like I've learned a lot in this time. In my first blog post, I mentioned how I was hoping to discover that society was as ready to move on from gender roles as I am, and while the spirit may be willing, the flesh is still pretty weak. While society wants gender roles to move on, individual people are stubborn! I honestly don't know what else I expected; of course there's always a group of naysayers who are against any sort of change: that's life.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d9/68/bb/d968bb2e8f9a9dcd9b7f15d687733504.jpg.

What have I learned about myself? Well, I learned that when it comes to expressing yourself, you are the biggest obstacle (semi-related "fact": the person seven times more likely to kill you than anyone else is yourself [citation needed]). People admire confidence, and coming to terms with who you are makes other people ignore the fact that you may not perfectly fit society's expectations. More importantly, I learned that being yourself weeds out any negative forces in your life; if people only like you when you try to fit in, they never really like you, do they? Likewise, being truly yourself will bring in new positive experiences that you never would have imagined before. Just be yourself, and your world will change with you.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T48zydwPQtY/U51dFBRpUwI/AAAAAAAAz04/ZZFONJPnfoY/be%2Byourself.gif

Overall, I feel I did well with the planning and pacing of my inquiry and work. I spent to most time on my research and using my research to form a conclusion. To me this was the most important, as there's no product without solid research to base it off of. My product packaging helped make this easier for me too, since I was comfortable with my research and I had no problem presenting it in a video format. Unfortunately, I'm not very used to speaking to a camera, so my on-screen appearance is rather awkward. I also feel that I could have made my product longer, but I sadly didn't notice this until part way through the editing process.

Either way, I would still give myself a Level 4 on this project. I put a lot of time and effort into my gender research, and I am sure that it will pay off. I did my absolute best to make sure my research was well explained and easy to understand through both my script and editing, and I think my presentation was similar in that regard. After all, gender is a pretty abstract topic and even though I had some struggles, I was able to persevere and overcome them. I sought out to answer a question about the world we live in, and I think I was able to answer it pretty well.

https://www.askideas.com/media/07/Clown-Waving-Hand-And-Says-Goodbye-Animated-Gif.gif

Goodbye, madyisu.blogspot.ca, and goodbye, ENG2DL ISU.

~Cameron

Inquiry Conference: Sharing the Learning

In general, I tend not to worry too much about presentations. If I did my research (which I did) and know what I'm talking about (which I do), then I know I don't need to worry about getting all the words exactly right. With my presentations, the real struggle is structure; I'll stray off-topic and lose my pacing if I don't stop myself. That's why I try not to put too many words or prompts on my slides and focus more on pictures that relate to what I'm saying; questions and prompts will make me over-explain.

http://thecontextofthings.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/gettyimages_715599221.jpg

I think I'm fairly comfortable presenting. Although sometimes I may forget to make eye contact with half of the class, I'm never too nervous or afraid to speak to anyone. I'll say what I need to (and maybe even a little extra), and then try my best to move on smoothly. I often make cue cards for presentations just so I know what to say and what not to (more on that later), but sometimes I depend on them too much and try to overcompensate when I miss something. I don't think I have any nervous ticks and I don't think I stutter, but I guess it depends on the presentation and how nervous I feel that day.

https://giphy.com/gifs/jack-tripper-G4Ihli2UThrBS

I was surprisingly not very anxious before presenting; I was confident enough in the subject to not be afraid of messing up or saying something wrong. Since my question had a definite yes or no answer instead of being more open ended, I was mainly worried about making sure that I actually answered whether or not gender roles were valid in modern society. I think got my point across, but I felt that my conclusion was a little shaky and may have left some people confused. Timed presentations like that always make me scared that I'll go over the time limit, and I often accidentally cut corners to try and make up for it. This in turn makes me worried that I'll go under the limit, and it just leaves me unsure for the whole presentation.

http://blog.tranquilene.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Drowning-in-Time.jpg

I did have some trouble compiling all of my research into a relatively short presentation. I wanted to add more of my information that I neglected to put in my product, but I did a run through with some extra bits and it ended up taking over 7 minutes. I decided it was much more important to have the basics covered so people would have a general understanding of gender and gender roles, and my second run-through dropped to 4 minutes 20 seconds. I left it at that, knowing I'd probably talk a little faster but add in more information so my actual presentation would even out to about the same length. This leaves me feeling unsatisfied, since I know I have more to share but never got the chance to do it.

https://pakistanstopbullying.wordpress.com/tag/left-out/

Overall I feel I did fairly well. I'm not sure if it's because of the Laurier Program or just because I'm in high school, but I have much higher expectations for presentations now than I did before. Thankfully I was able to satisfy my high standards and I hope I did the same for yours.

Putting it Together: Product Creation

To be honest, I was having some difficulty choosing how to present my research. How can I make a project that represents gender? Gender is abstract, and personal, and hard to represent in any sort of physical product. Then I realized that a lot of people, especially teenagers like myself, struggle with gender identity and combatting stereotypical gender roles. They need help, and the research I've been doing can assist them in their own journeys of self discovery. It's a win-win!

(http://bit.ly/2rquS1L)

So I knew I was going to present my information and the answer to my question in a way that could potentially help teenagers answer their own questions about themselves. In that case, I'd need to find a medium that teenagers relate to, but also something I'm already fairly comfortable with. I like making videos, and I know there are a lot of YouTube channels already dedicated to things like gender and sexuality, so I thought I'd make a research based vlog-type video where I act as though I'm giving advice to people who are confused about their gender and society today.

(https://media.giphy.com/media/NrqF5yVkgwzjq/giphy.gif)

I think a YouTube style video works well with my project because it helps put the concept of gender into something more physical and malleable while still giving me an opportunity to present my information in a way that's both easy to understand for the audience and enjoyable for me to create. Vlog style videos are simple, but get the point across well. With a video I can also have presentation aids like pictures and videos on screen while I talk, further explaining my research. Vlogs are also informal and casual, so I'm able to relax and be comfortable on the camera, making the whole process less strenuous overall.

(https://static.bhphotovideo.com/explora/sites/default/files/TTT.png)

During this stage, I had to ask myself a lot of questions. How long should the video be? How do I order my information? Where do I film? How will I cite information rather than just consulting it? It was a lot to think about. I decided to take it easy, and just make sure that I fit in as much information as I can without getting overwhelming, and the video will be done when I feel I've presented enough of my research. As for pacing the video, I planned to start simple by answering what gender and gender roles are. From there, I chose to ease into more complicated subjects like Gender vs Sex, Spectrum vs Binary, chimpanzee studies, and gender roles in the media. Finally, I decided to finish it off by tying all of my research together to finally answer my question "Are Gender Roles Still Valid in Modern Society?" What is my conclusion? Well, you'll find out when you watch the video..

Discovering the Answers: The Research Process

Before starting this inquiry process, I assumed that researching gender and gender roles would be rather simple; it seems to be a hot topic these days, so I thought that would mean there would be lots of information on the subject. Nope. I've noticed that since everyone has a gender of some sort, most articles are very biased and were created with the intent to influence the reader in one way or another.

(http://chrissanders.org/2017/01/know-your-bias-2-anchoring/)

Knowing this, I've stuck as hard as I can to the C.R.A.A.P outline to insure that all of the information I use is as unbiased as humanly possible. I've found multiple university studies on gender and its biological roots. These studies are grounded heavily in facts and less in opinions, which many other sources tend to use to flavour their articles. I've also tried my absolute hardest to only use articles written in the 2010s, which lets me get relevant and recent information while still giving me some leeway.

While researching, I've found a lot of information about transgenderism. I do take it into account, but I also make sure that it doesn't overwhelm my project, as transitioning from one gender into another is not the focus of my ISU, even though it provides fresh perspective to the notion of gender and gender roles.

(https://giphy.com/gifs/gender-p3FD4OPzUtSG4)

When checking to see if websites are reliable, I check to see if the opinion I form at the end of reading is mine or the authors. If I'm able to pull someone else's opinion from an article, that's generally a pretty large red flag that the piece I'm reading is biased. When finding websites, I also check to make sure that every website is a .edu, .org, .gc.ca, .gov, or a source that I already trust, like National Geographic.

When it comes to tracking my information, I opened up the Notes application on my computer and post each link along with a brief description of what the link leads to. In general, I tend to not properly cite all of my sources until near the end when I have them all. It's just easier for me, and in the past it's worked pretty well.

(http://legallydrawn.com/blog/2009/7/31/my-reliable-sources-have-confirmed-that.html)

Although it still feels fairly early in the inquiry process, I still wish I had done more research earlier. I have had a very busy past week with a lot of family events getting me taken away from doing schoolwork at home, so I really haven't had any time to sit down and research for a solid portion of time. If I were to do the ISU research again, I'd want to do it at a time where I wasn't extremely busy for some of the most crucial parts of the inquiry process. It's unfortunate, since it was specifically last week when I was busy, but I think I'll be able to catch up now that I have some more free time.

Overall, I'm interested to see this project develop into something greater, and it's kind of cool to see how many other people, universities, and organizations have dedicated their lives to providing information on the topic of gender. I have to thank them, since without them my project would be solely based on opinions and assumptions, and I hope to see where I can go with their information from here. I can't wait to keep going.

(http://imgur.com/gallery/Bjj4yWC)

Finding a Direction: The Research Question

The world is a strange place. From birth, we are given a role that we are raised to play based on our genitals. We're given personality traits, interests, certain clothing, hair length, and even colours that we must adhere to in order to fit in. But why?

Society as a whole loves to put people into boxes. People are lazy, and making assumptions about other people is simply easier. Because of this, we unfortunately create stereotypes, preconceived notions about other people based on certain factors, which harm everyone. A perfect example of this is gender and gender roles.

(https://www.theodysseyonline.com/lets-debunk-traditional-gender-roles)

People often see gender as very binary. Only girls can like dancing, only boys can like cars. Only girls can sew, only boys can fight. Girls are confusing, boys are oblivious. The list goes on and on. That's awfully restrictive, and at this point in time, rather pointless.

I chose my question because gender is something that affects everyone, including myself. We are all praised for the stereotypes we align with, and shamed for the ones we do not. I know this all too well. In general, I have much more stereotypically feminine interests than I do masculine. I love baking, I know how to crochet, I like pink, scented candles are amazing, and I'm very interested in design.

(https://vintagetraveler.tumblr.com/post/155659912742)

It's not easy to defy social convention in public, or even at home for that matter. People are always ready to judge, and just the thought of that is enough to set me off from acting [even more] feminine [than I do now]. I change the way I act around people to seem more normal, and there comes a time when you just have to stop and ask yourself: Why? 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GBT37_yyzY)

I felt compelled to do the question: "Are gender roles still valid in modern society?" as soon as I heard about the project. I often feel so forced into a box that it's suffocating, and the idea of gender and what a male must be is always lingering in the back of my mind when I make decisions. In fact, the only reason I was hesitant to do this question in the first place was because I felt that I wasn't the best spokesperson for this question. I'm not trans. I don't wear makeup. I don't challenge gender every single day and scream injustice whenever someone feels less-than because of their gender. Who am I to talk about gender?

That's when I realized that that's what made it such a good question. Everyone suffers from gender roles. Not just the trans community, or women, or those who openly challenge the people who try to define them every single day. The idea of gender is a spectrum, and every single person on the spectrum is hurt by a forced gender binary. I don't think people should have to hide themselves to seem more normal, I think we should accept people because of their differences, not despite them.

(http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2015/03/the-genderbread-person-v3/#sthash.HXyttGTc.dpbs)

In my research, I hope to discover that society does, or will soon, share my opinion that gender roles have become outdated, and that we as people need to be more open and accepting of our differences; because, as much as we don't like to hear it, people can't live their entire lives in boxes.